Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #61 – More Bark and Little Bowling!

Thursday, September 28th, 2017…...  Our first day in a while without room guests!  Jody and Penny came by today so she could get the last of her things.  They said they had a nice first night in her home – slept well. Quincy is getting used to her new digs too!  She has a neighbor dog (big dog!), Louie, that she will have to get used to as well.  Penny is going to block a larger hole in the fence so they can’t snarl at each other through it. Back at our house, I worked on getting the craft room set back up for Lydia and cleaned the micron filter on the washer, then went out to work a while in my shop. Kirk came by today because tomorrow we are getting rain and he wanted to get in a good day’s work on bark for the islands. Later, Lydia baked some salmon and made fried potatoes and cooked some peas which made for a nice dinner.  We had a few shows to watch and then went to bed.  

Friday, September 29th, 2017…...  This morning there was a bit of clouds coming in.  We decided to go try Skyline for breakfast since we liked their dinners so much.  On the way, we made a quick stop at the local metal fab shop to see if they could work on my bent axle on the trailer. Yep! I will be bringing it in next week so that’s good news.  Then on to Sweet Home. Breakfast was very good.  I had their giant chicken fried steak with hash browns and eggs and gravy (good gravy!) which I won’t do next time - it was way too much food!  They have a senior menu with smaller portions that we can order from next time.  We came home (through the light sprinkles) and I got started on my rainy-day project - sanding down the wainscoting in the dining room.  We like the craftsmanship and all, but in this room there is way too much oak for our tastes! I had to sand the varnish off the wood so I can prep it for painting. 

The walls will be a nice gray and the wainscoting will be white. Later, we joined Penny and Jody at, of all places, the local bowling alley, for dinner.  They have claimed to have the best burger in town so we had to go.  Well, it was pretty good!  I had their bodacious burger, which comes with two patties, ham, bacon, cheese and a fried egg! Lydia had a cheeseburger and Pepsi.  They also have deep fried mushrooms which we shared.  With a glass of beer for me, it wasn’t exactly a healthy meal but it was sure delicious!  The bowling alley is pretty nice too.  18 lanes!  We may come back sometime and bowl a few games. We returned home and took off to our respective rooms to relax and watch our taped programs.      

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #60 – Painting and Move-In Day!

 

Tuesday, September 26th, 2017…...  The painters are still working on the rooms at Penny’s place.  We went over to see what the girls were working on.  It was kind of chaotic with all of us running around the rooms working.  There were as many as nine of us there at one time!  I got out of the way (sorta) and put up the new wall switch covers and outlet covers.  The girls worked on unpacking some of the things they could put in the rooms that were painted but weren’t getting carpet.  We had the heavy buffet to move in to her dining area but luckily there were young strapping men there to help.  It took three of us guys to get it in and then out of the path.  After a while, Lydia and I left and Penny and Jody worked on the kitchen table base and top and chairs and got those in and also brought in boxes for the buffet before coming home.  We decided to drive out to Sweet Home and get soup and salad for dinner. We made a quick detour by the lake and then stopped back at the house so they could move laundry from washer to dryer. We then came home and watched the second DWTS.  We think they have got the first two eliminations right so far.  

Wednesday, September 27th, 2017…...   The girls left early to get coffee and meet the carpet guys who were coming at 8:00am.  Lydia fixed omelets and we watched a Master Chef tape (we are getting caught up and just have the finale left to watch).  I went out and worked on my lumber pile (that Walt left me) in the shop.  I stacked it up just outside in the potting shed.  Then I headed off to Walmart to get my money back for the second air bed.  The first one wasn’t holding air (leaking at the valve I think) so we bought another one with the idea that we would box up the first one and use the current receipt for a refund.  It didn’t work out - I took it back to the return desk only to find out that they won’t take back bedding that’s been opened – “Walmart policy”. I could go get another as an exchange.  Ok, so I got another bright idea! Go get one with a new receipt and then return that one for my refund. Ehhh – wrong answer!  The customer service worker cut the tape and even took scissors to the box lid!  So, I now have two queen size airbeds, one twin size airbed, plus the queen bed in the guest room!  We’re ready for a major sleepover!  Let’s have a party! I went by a tire place to see if they could work on my trailer axle (nope) and then went over to get my ladder from Penny’s.  I ended up there over 4 hours! I hung doors, put up towel racks and moved furniture.  But hey, she needed help and I’m her bro! Anyway, I left with my ladder and headed home and rested a bit.  The girls came home a little after that and we had BLTs for dinner.  I cleaned up and Penny and Jody started in packing up most of their stuff here and took it over there since the beds were up and tv and internet is up and running. It will be her last night with us and the first one in her new house!  We relaxed and watched taped tv shows (we got the Master Chef finale watched – we liked the ending and who won) and turned in early!        

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #59 – Coastal Run and Another Mowing Day!

 

Sunday, September 24th, 2017…...  We always lounge around on Sundays and today was no exception.  Except everyone lounged in the car as I drove us to the coast for seafood!  This time we drove up 30 miles to Salem and then went west from there (Hwy 22) and it took us to Hwy 101 just north of Lincoln City.  We stopped at a farmer’s market/boutique where we picked up a few things. This is our new starfish cell phone recharging station. Not bad for $10.!

We then found Fathom to try for ‘linner’.  It was right on the coast and you entered on the 9^th floor of a hotel and went up one flight to the bar/restaurant.  The restaurant was closed (they were between the Sunday brunch and dinner hours) so we ate in the bar. Lydia tried their prime rib sandwich and Jody, Penny I had the fish and chips each with a cup of clam chowder soup (very good soup here too – but doesn’t compare with Skyline!).  After the nice meal (thanks Jody & Penny!) we kept going south enjoying the coastline until we got to Newport where we picked up Hwy 20 which took us home to relax and watch tv until calling it a night.  

Monday, September 25th, 2017…...  Today was a work day.  Penny and Jody headed over to the house to meet with the contractor.  Lydia and I ate breakfast and then went to Walmart for a few items for dinner. I went out to the workshop and worked on the safety chain for my trailer then cleaned up a few areas in the shop area. After a quick lunch I went out and talked a bit with Kirk who was working again today moving bark into the beds.  I have an area close to the house that I have cleared of grass and weeds that I am wanting to use in the future for rv parking.  It’s in my plan to have it concreted when the rv garage is built – but only if it’s in my budget. Meanwhile, I think I’ll have Kirk put bark on the dirt.  I can still park a rig there (no power at this time) but the plus is that it does have a sewer dump.  Will have him do that last so I can think more on it. After that, I got the tractor out and cut the grass. The rains sure made it grow fast!  I don’t have a catcher for the tractor yet so the cuttings have to remain on the lawn as mulch.  I’m told I only have a month left before it will be too wet to mow anymore. Maybe I can get a catcher next season. The girls got back and they started in on fixing dinner.  We heated up the chicken lasagna and Lydia made biscuits and Penny and Jody made salad.  It was good!  After the meal, I headed out to the porch to finish up the rest of the ‘fireball’ I had left in the cupboard.  Lydia watched tv but Penny and Jody brought wine out to sit with me.  It was very relaxing. Tomorrow is work day at her house so we made those plans tonight. We followed it up with tv (DWTS) until bedtime.   

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #58 – More Landscaping, DirecTV & Beerfest!

Friday, September 22nd, 2017…...  Kirk came again today to work on spreading out more bark in the rest of our flowerbeds.  He’s about ½ way done with that project.  My sister has three small trees that she doesn’t want so he will bring those here.  Lydia has already picked out a spot and I marked them with flags. He’s got two more plants to move and one to plant and after the bark is done, he should be about finished. He’s done such a great job and has been fun to work with. Plus the place is looking great! Meanwhile, Penny had her DirecTV install today.  The guy who came out was the same one who did the install for the previous tenants.  He wired up new locations and tested everything but was surprised that the satellite dish was missing! Truth be told - it’s in my shop waiting for my rv garage to be built but we didn’t tell him that.  So she got a brand new one (all part of the plan!). Lydia and I then headed off to Home Depot to order the area rugs for the living room and entryway. They are special order so we have to wait until Oct. for pickup.  We all went back home and rested for a while before taking off again. The plan was to go to Eugene for shopping (Home Goods/Marshalls/Bed Bath & Beyond/Trader Joe’s) before going for pizza in Coburg.  Penny bought a chair and ordered a bed cover package which will be sent out next week. A few other things and we were headed for pizza! We had told Jody how good this pizza was but she needed to check it out for herself.  She wasn’t disappointed (except that they don’t have a store in St George Utah!). We headed home and called it a night.  Penny got some nice sunset shots on the drive.

Oh, the deer were back again this evening.  They were there when we returned and right up close to the house and motorhome but it was too dark to get good pictures.     

Saturday, September 23rd, 2017…...  Today was Beerfest day in Lebanon!  Yaay!  But first we had to go to Habitat for Humanity. They had ½ price for cabinets today. I was eyeing an island to use as a worktable for my shop.  We took two cars and Penny and Jody took my car because her chair was still in there from yesterday.  Turns out I didn’t buy anything today because my island was priced at $185.00 and even at half price I couldn’t do it. Penny bought a shelving unit which I took over to her garage for her.  I went back home and waited for everyone to get ready for the beerfest.  We took two cars in case anyone wanted to leave early.  We got parked (pretty close up!) and paid our admission. The proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the greater Santiam Valley so we knew it was for a good cause. Penny, Lydia and I opted for the $45. VIP pass. It got you 6 beer tasting tokens plus a special sampling cup plus special seating (for the stage shows/bands) plus special swag (free t-shirt and other small token items).  Jody got the $20 general admission entrance which got her 3 tokens.  There were over 30 beer vendors (plus one winery) that you could use tokens for.  We first stopped at the t-shirt booth and got our shirts. They were made onsite and showed the beerfest logo which was fine with us.  They forgot to take Lydia’s voucher ticket so we gave it to Jody so she got a shirt as well. Lydia wasn’t drinking so I got her 6 tokens (she did try the wine and I gave Penny one token so I only had 10 – poor me!) so we started out. We went up and down the streets sampling the 4 ounce pours but stopped first at the vendor food trucks.  I chose the pork bbq (Pork on a Stick) and got a porkadilla (pork quesadilla) and Lydia chose a cheese infused hamburger and fries.  The hamburger truck couldn’t make the fries (due to a propane problem so I ordered them at my bbq place.  Penny and Jody got their meals from the pork bbq as well and enjoyed their choices.  It was all very good.  

We then set out to try all the vendors.  I even hit one place twice (don’t ask cause it’s all a blur!).  I think I liked Mazama Brewery from Corvallis the best. Once we made the first pass we found seating in the shade and then Penny and I went back and hit other favorites until our tickets were gone.  We had folks take pictures of our fun day.  I found my little worker friend who was assigned to go round up all the tokens from the booths and tried to get her to share with me!  No luck!  

Penny ended up going back for more tokens while Lydia and I headed home (Lydia drove!). We rested and napped after the long day.  

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #57 – Spiders, Deer, and Rainbows!

 

Wednesday, September 20th, 2017…..  Today was the second day of prep and painting over at Penny’s.  The guys did some repair work on her window sills and painted the ceilings, baseboards and doors and window and door casings.

 It’s looking good (except for the GIANT spider in the master closet!).  

They have another job to go to and won’t be back until Monday.  It’s been raining so this is actually a good thing – it will give the paint time to dry so they can safely tape off the trim.  They finished up and left for the day - one of the guys put the spider in a jar for his daughter’s science show and tell day at school). The POD also got delivered this afternoon.  We will unload tomorrow morning.  Lydia was planning dinner but the chicken didn’t defrost so we all went out to Ixtapa for Mexican food. We got home and kicked back and later watched the America’s Got Talent results show.  We picked our top 4 and all of us had Darci to win (yaay!) I got Angelica second and Light Balance 3^rd.  I had picked Diavolo over Mandy so I missed 4^th but still that was pretty good – 3 out of 4.  Lydia and Penny also got 3 of their 4. Good show this season. Next up is following DWTS and then Survivor!    

Thursday, September 21st, 2017…...  I had another revisit appointment this morning with one of my potential contractors (Arron).  He brought along an electrician to take a look and see what we can do to (cheaply) route power to the rv garage.  It would cost over 10k to run it from the street so that’s out.  He thinks he can rearrange some of my breakers in the shop and get me one 50amp., one 30amp., and a couple 20amp circuits which will work and save a ton! No quote yet but soon I expect.  I worked on my trailer safety chains when they came by and Arron and I ended up talking about by bent axle problem. He remembered a tire shop in town that did work on boat trailer axle straightening so that’s a good lead. 

While I was working with my guys, Penny and Jody were at the house and started in on unloading the POD. I told them I would head over as so as I could to help. When I got there, they were about a third in.  We finished and they got most  everything staged so it will go in the house pretty easily when it’s ready.  

We went to lunch and I came home and hung curtains while they went back to shop for furniture and then to Walmart. Lydia rested (still in some discomfort from her shingles) but got her chicken lasagna casserole prepped for dinner.  

Penny brought home garlic knots which we heated up and the girls put a salad together plus we had anniversary cake! Happy anniversary Charlie and Jody!  

Penny and Jody eating anniversary cake!

All were yummy.  While we were eating, we spotted three deer out by the woods at the edge of the back property (kinda hard to see).

Then we spotted the rainbow…..

We ended the evening watching tv and planning our day tomorrow.

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #56 – Trailers, More Visitors and the Shingles!

Monday, September 18th, 2017…..   This morning we got rain.  Not heavy rain, just light sprinkles and short light showers. I took off to get coffee and something to eat and then went over to Walmart to get some spray paint for my ladder.  Walt left me a nice fiberglass 6’ step ladder (thanks Walt!) but it was probably left outside so the glazing was coming off, exposing the fiberglass a bit.  So I painted it with a clearcoat in between the showers. I got one coat on and came in to watch a taped show for a bit.  Yesterday, Kirk gave me a lead on a utility trailer on Craig’s List.  I called this morning and it was still for sale.  So Lydia and I set out to Salem to go check it out.  We met up with the guy, who had been in the landscape business and now is working with a concrete company.  He wanted $500. for the trailer which was way underpriced for what it was.  Yes, it needs work but I thought it compared with $1500. trailers out there.  I spotted the rest of his landscaping equipment and asked him if they were for sale.  He had a Honda mower and a Maclane edger that were in pretty good shape.  He wanted $200. for both.  I offered $500 for everything and he accepted. I hooked it up and it towed beautifully.  I got it backed into the workshop and checked it out underneath.  I noticed some work had been done on the axle and that the right

side tire leaned in a bit. I’m guessing the guy must have overloaded the trailer at some point and bent the axle and then welded a bar on it for strength. I’m not too concerned because it tracks well but I’ll keep my eyes open for a welding shop to see if I can heat up the one side and straighten it a bit. I spoke a bit with Janie who gave me a heads up of what’s happening down in SoCal with our friends.  Meanwhile, Lydia called me in for roast beef and carrots, potatoes and gravy.  It sure hit the spot! We watched some Master Chef episodes and also some Great Food Truck Race episodes so we’re caught up now! Then it was time for the startup of Dancing with the Stars! The rain was off and on and more is coming tomorrow.  I already have turned off my sprinklers so we’ll see how wet the yard will get.   

Tuesday, September 19th, 2017…...  We slept in this morning and then took off to Kevin’s for breakfast.  We went from there to check on a hair/nail salon.  Turns out they moved so we went there.  She went in and found it was $10 Tuesday! And walk-ins were welcome.  We returned home and I started on my trailer work.  Lydia came out and said the internet was down.  I called and it took a while to get that resolved.  All the computers/tablets/cell came back except my new one!  I got back with them and they said to reboot.  It had always taken a long time to reboot before but this time I timed it as the guy was on the phone waiting for confirmation before signing off.  It took almost 14 minutes!  So I got mad and took the whole thing back to Staples.  Long story short – they replaced it for me and I’m now day one on the new one.  We’ll see how this one works. Meanwhile, Penny’s friend, Jody and her husband Charlie, came to Oregon to visit.  Actually, Charlie will be heading down to Calif. and Jody will stay here and help Penny move her stuff in from the POD (which will be delivered tomorrow).  They went back to their hotel and then Penny, Lydia and I went to Ma’s for Chinese.  Not as good as the other times.  When we got back Lydia called our doctor’s office and asked about going to urgent care.  It looks like her shingles have come back!  She wanted to see if there was anything they could do or recommend what she needed to do.  They said go and have it looked at so she headed off to urgent care.  Stay tuned….

Ok, she’s back now and it didn’t take too long to get in.  They examined her and sent her to the pharmacy for antibiotics and meds for the pain. We’ve both had shingles before and it’s NOT FUN! She knows it will take a long time to lessen and may linger for even months or more. We finished up the night watching the taped America’s Got Talent Finale night one.  We’re rooting for the young ventriloquist but America votes and there’s some stiff competition plus some compelling back stories of some acts that folks might vote for.      

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #55 – Quilts and Cakes!

Saturday, September 16th, 2017…..   This morning we decided to drive in to Albany and then to Philomath. In Albany, we hit their farmer’s market.  It was a new one for us since we had been going to Corvallis.  Well, we will be going back to Corvallis as this one was nothing special.  We left there pretty quickly and headed for our second destination – the Philomath Scout Lodge Quilt Show.  They do this one yearly at the Scout headquarters there.  It costs $5.00 and we were in!  I spent a while looking through the exhibits and saw many beautiful quilts,

 then found a comfy seat while Lydia and Penny went through at a much slower pace!  Lydia bought some material and they both entered for the drawings and when they were finished they said they were glad they came!  Afterward, we went to Block 15 for lunch (thanks Penny!).  This was a place I was glad I came! They have terrific hamburgers here plus craft beer. I tried their Printmaster’s Pale Ale, which was really good.  

Penny had their Super Nebula Stout which she liked as well. Once full, we headed home and rested for the day.  Since we ate a nice meal, we didn’t fix dinner.  We just ate either chips and/or tomato soup. We finished up the day watching tv. 

Sunday, September 17th, 2017…..  Today was a kick back day.  The weather was supposed to change this afternoon to rain so we expected blue skies in the morning.  We still have smoke from the fires so we got mucky gloom instead.  Later in the afternoon, it started out with light sprinkles and then progressed into the evening with light rain.  There is more coming next week so I think I will soon be able to turn off the sprinklers and drip systems around the property for the season!  Penny got her modem from Xfinity and went over to set it up. She called me once and said she was waiting for the system boot/startup.  It wasn’t working so she ended up calling support to help get it going, which they did.  Meanwhile we lounged around the house, watching tv and doing small chores. After she returned and it got later in the afternoon, we decided to go to Sweet Home to the Skyline Inn for salad and clam chowder.  We also needed to return the pie plate that my birthday pie was on.  It had a $13.00 deposit!  Although it wasn’t a big meal, it was sure tasty!  Our server, Mars, is friendly and is a lot of fun.  We told her we were enjoying the meal and she suggested we go on Yelp and write a review.  Penny told her about my blog so I gave her a card so she could read it if she wanted. I took her picture next to the dessert cooler 

(yes – she twisted our arms (not too hard) to try the coconut pie and pumpkin cake!) which were both very good. After that, we headed back home fat and happy with the promise to ourselves that we will be going back one day very soon to try their breakfast.      

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #54 – Shop Work, a New Screen and a new Doctor!

 

Thursday, September 14th, 2017…..  This morning I woke up super early (5:30am) and remembered I didn’t get the trash out to the street last night!  Our trash/recycle guys always show up early so I put on some pants and got both containers out to the street.  Whew! I just stayed up and showered and went out to Starbucks for chai latte’ for Lydia and coffee for me.  I stopped and got a breakfast burrito (Lydia ate at home) and then went out to the shop for a while.  It is starting to cool down in the mornings.  This morning it was 43° when I went outside!  They say we are going to get some significant rain next week.  We’ll see….

I worked on the workshop a bit.  Here are before and after pics for the main storage shop and the workshop….

The storage shop is pretty much done. Maybe a few more shelves on the other side down the road.  The workshop is only about 25% done.  Still have plans in there!

Our appointment for install on the Phantom Screen Door Slider that we ordered (from Lowe’s) was today.  He had called earlier and said he was on the way (from Lake Oswego/Portland area) and got here about 9:00am.  Before the install, he showed us options and colors (they customize onsite!).  We ended up with the color we originally picked out in the store (driftwood beige). It only took him an hour and he was gone.  We think it looks great!

Now, on nice days we can open the front door and the back slider and get a breeze.  Of course, we are at the end of the warm weather, but it’s nice to get that done.  Afterward, I went over to help Penny unload her entertainment center which we put in the garage for now.  Later, we all headed to Albany to Harbor Freight and Joanne’s. Penny is stocking up on tools and items from HF and Lydia bought a sewing table from Joanne’s (hey – she got 60% off today!) I got the box as far as her craft room. Tomorrow, I’ll get it assembled and set up for her. We noticed our neighbors across the street, Rick and Judy, were home, so Lydia and I took chocolate pie slices over.  Rick (a doctor) is helping us choose a doctor here in town so we can complete our medical insurance set up process. Thanks, guys!  We still will have to call tomorrow to check to see if they accept new patients before we choose them for our PCP. We came back and ate another leftover dinner and settled in to relax and watch tv.

Friday, September 15th, 2017…..  I got up early again this morning and started putting the sewing table together.  That only took a ½ hour or so.  So I ate some breakfast and then got on the phone.  After a few lo___ng phone calls this morning, we now have our primary care physician chosen and also updated in United Health Care’s system.  New, corrected cards are in work now. We both have appointments for initial consults plus flu shots in our visits.  The good thing is that the Dr’s office is close by in Lebanon.  I spent some time paying bills then went outside to work for a while. There are a few things I wanted to address. Our apple trees and grapevines need a bit of cleaning up.  Penny picked apples off our trees this morning to try to make some applesauce.  We’re told they are similar to granny smiths so even though they are green they taste pretty good. If the applesauce works out, I’ll pick more and Lydia will get a pie or cobbler on her radar.  Stay tuned…. I sampled our grapes.  We’re still not sure what variety they are but we saw some at the farmer’s market the other day that weren’t thompsons and looked very much like ours.  Problem is no one can remember what they were called either!  But either way these are ripe so I think tomorrow I’ll go up and clean up the area and pick grapes.  On the way barn to the workshop, I got some weed killer out and cleaned up around and under the motorhome.  We get a TON of dandelions up here and they pop up everywhere!  Penny went to get her internet service set up and Lydia spent most of her day working in her craft room. Once we were done with our tasks we went to Walmart and picked up stuff for tacos for dinner.  We also bought some curtains for the guest room and the craft room. A little at a time….

We got back and put everything away.  Penny got home and Lydia fixed the meat, I did the shells, and Penny got the cheese and lettuce set up. Dinner was sure tasty tonight.  Lydia doesn’t like whipped cream so we still have pie. I had a slice earlier and sis had one tonight.  We’re making a dent in it!  I also cut up a sorbet watermelon we bought at the farmer’s market.  It is really a bright yellow color and had lots of seeds but it sure was tasty!

I settled in to watch a taped Nascar race and they watched tapes on the living room tv.       

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #53 – Bug Zappers & a Mountain of Pie!

Tuesday, September 12th, 2017…..  Today was bug zapper day!  Our pest control guy started round one of spraying and getting rid of webs.  He came pretty early and got started on the inside first, spraying all along our baseboards. We don’t have any signs so far in the house but better to be safe…..  He went outside and knocked down all the webs and nests and sprayed after that, both outside the house and the workshop.  We’ll see if that kills them off….

Penny took Quincy over to her new house today for her first visit.  I went out and finished up my sprinkler work on the front island.  I still need an inline timer but I’m looking for one brand in particular.  I’ll go online later and search for it. But for now, the system works and they can cover that bed now with bark/mulch.

The girls surprised me with another birthday dinner! Turns out they had planned on taking me to Skyline Inn in Sweet Home on Monday but I surprised them when I wanted Coburg Pizza!  Skyline was closed on Mondays so it worked out that we went this evening.  Penny and I both had the special $15.95 bbq and shrimp dinner with baked potato and soup or salad.  I chose the clam chowder.  I had had it here when Mike and Pat were visiting with us and really liked it.  They have it on the menu every day (kind of a specialty). And it is The Best Clam Chowder in Oregon!  Hear that Bill!  Lydia ordered the $15.95 steak and oysters special.  It was one huge meal for each of us!  And to top it off, Penny ordered a chocolate pie to take home.  They boxed it and I carried it out.  I swear it weighed 12 lbs!  We were too full so we will have to eat it tomorrow.  

Wednesday, September 13th, 2017…..   This morning we got up bright and early and drove to Corvallis for the Wednesday Farmer’s Market.  I wanted pupusas. We parked on the opposite end from their booth and I could hardly wait until we got there.  I had my order in and waited for the girls to catch up.  They were buying fruits and veggies along the way.  I also tried their chicken tamale, which Penny had as well and Lydia sampled.  It was excellent! We stopped by Home Depot on the way home and Penny bought some more light switch covers and floor registers for after the painting.  Kirk and Caleb were here today laying out more bark so when we got home I went out and made sure the island sprinklers were in place and trimmed up a tree before the guys got out there (turns out they didn’t get that far today anyway).  Penny took off for her house and I broke out the pie!  Lydia even brought out some for the guys.  After that I went over to Penny's and we tackled some more errant sprinklers and repaired some others.  The tenants had gravel spread out next to the garage but the sprinklers still worked there so Penny dug them out and capped them while I got more repaired in the back yard. We even found bark spread out over yard cloth that covered some of the sprinklers.  When we turned them on you could hear them running but they were covered! Duuuhhh!  We fixed those and I headed home while she stayed and waited for the bug guy to come do her house. We ate leftover ribs and had more pie (she did - I was full). Here’s what this gigantic thing looked like!

We ended the evening watching the America’s Got Talent results show. 

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #52 – Relaxing, Computer Shopping and a Birthday!

Sunday, September 10th, 2017…..  Sunday was a rest day for us. Penny went over to the house and Lydia and I kicked back at home. She fixed dinner and we watched a few episodes of Guy’s Road Trip series.  He’s traveling around the US with his family in a motorhome so it was interesting to us to see the campgrounds and the stops he makes that we have been to.  

Monday, September 11th, 2017…..  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!  But I bow and humbly share this day with the nation. I started out with plans to mow the yard but I needed to make a stop first.  Last night my laptop wouldn’t boot up!  I tried for hours but nothing.  It’s an older laptop and I have been wanting to upgrade for a long time.  I’ve researched for brands and systems that I wanted. Luckily, the day before I got a flyer from Staples and they had a sale on a model that works for me so I set out to go get it.  No sales tax in Oregon so that helped. Yaay!  We (Penny and I) headed out to Albany. We stopped by her house and picked up all of her old paint cans left behind (since she’s having the house repainted none were worth saving) and took them to Miller Paint where she also got another color sample to try out before deciding. We also stopped at Ace Hardware and I picked up some sprinkler parts that I had ordered for my house.  I managed to get her sprinkler heads adjusted – yes, I had the directions this time! – and we headed back to the house.  The grass was dry enough now so I got out the tractor and got that going. With the red bark in the flowerbeds and the lawn cut and the flowers planted, it looks pretty darn good now!

Later, I came back in and got the laptop set up and working.  I like it.  I also had another appointment for an estimate on the rv garage. After he left, we took off to Coburg Pizza for a nice birthday dinner. Thanks, Lydia and Penny!

 Enjoying the best pizza!

 And now for the dessert pizza! Apple and Cinnamon!

I heard from a lot of folks today (via phone, email, text, and Facebook) wishing me a happy birthday. Thanks to all of you for your wishes.        

Oregon Living 2017 – Blog #51 – More Sprinklers, Tomatoes, and Rock and Roll!

Friday, September 8th, 2017…..     We went out this morning for breakfast.  I now have a local favorite place – Kevin’s. Plus they have a weekly flyer that has ads for local services, including contractors.  After returning home, I called four of them and left messages.  I got a call back pretty quickly from Arron.  He uses Fridays as his bid days and could swing by later.  Cool!  Meanwhile, the guys came back today to work some more on the bark mulch for our flower beds.  Yaay!

But first I went over to install some new sprinkler heads over at Penny’s house.  I must have thrown out the instruction sheet (or didn’t get one in the package) and didn’t quite get the hang of the adjustment settings so they ran amok! We returned home and watched the guys wheelbarrowing the mulch to the beds. Even with the bit they did today, it already looks good! 

          

Arron came by and we went over my plans and he suggested a solution that is way better price wise for us.  A pole barn (picture below is just an example of a pole barn).

Most everyone here is putting them up instead of the stick frame buildings.  They look just like a regular barn and can be insulated, drywalled and have electrical and windows, etc. He will be getting a price together for both types in the next couple of days.

We decided we wanted to try the popular hamburger chain up here called Burgerville.  They have cars lined up most all day like In & Out and we heard good things.  So we drove to Albany and went in to eat. Ok, In & Out it’s not!  I didn’t care for the burger but the fries were really good.  We missed it this time, but if we go back, we need to try their marionberry shake which looked pretty good.  We stopped at Home Depot and Lowe’s where I picked up some parts for my island sprinklers and Penny checked out/priced screens for her front door. She doesn’t want to spend the money for a slider like we ordered – she just needs one that Quincy can’t get through so a regular one will work. I did pick up the instructions for her sprinkler heads so I think I can get those adjusted now. We returned home and watched tv for a while before calling it a night.         

Saturday, September 9th, 2017…..   I ate a quick breakfast and decided to move mountains today – ok maybe three rocks.  Facing the house, there are three boulders on the right side of the driveway in the flowerbed and I thought we should have three more on the left to balance out the entrance.  I have other rocks on the property that Walt brought in and placed in various flowerbeds.  I chose three in the very back island to move.  I pried them up with a heavy bar and Penny and I got them on my dolly, which I hooked over the top of my truck's trailer hitch so we could roll them out to the front.  It took a lot of effort and a few Aleve but we got them placed.  I think we did well!. Lydia already has plans to match the day lilllies on the other side. 

Once we cleaned up , we headed out. Today was the Tomato & Salsa Fest, held at a nursery just outside of town, so we decided to go. We signed in as judges and ate up to ten sample tastings of salsa and voted on our favorite, then walked around to get signatures from the various vendor booths. We sat out for a while and ate samples and filled in our paperwork. 

You then turn in the paper and were entered in the raffle at the end of the day.  (no calls yet so I’m guessing we didn’t win!). Both Lydia and Penny bought plants so it was worth the trip.

Since the nursery was out past Penny’s place, we decided to stop on the way back so she could see her new paint swatches on the walls.  She added a second coat and still can’t make up her mind. I went out for round two with the water adjustments.  Yep, didn’t bring the instructions and yep, got everything soaked again.  We came back and I went out to my sprinkler bag and found the missing paperwork -  so I’m ready for round three now!  Maybe tomorrow.  We rested for the afternoon and Lydia put a casserole in the oven for dinner.  We ate (yummy) and I went out to the workshop to unload a few more boxes onto the new shelves and racks I have up. Then it was back to the house to our respective tvs to watch our taped shows before going to bed.